A corn harvesting header assembly or cornhead for an agricultural combine typically comprises a series of row units which are identical to each other. Each row unit includes a pair of snapping rolls having a snapping slot formed between them. Gathering chains having gathering fingers guide corn stalks into the snapping slot. The snapping rolls pull the corn stalks through the snapping slot and the ears are removed from the stalks as they come into engagement with opposed edges of stripper plates which bracket the slot between the gathering chains and the snapping rolls.
It is conventional for at least one of the two stripper plates to be mounted on the row unit frame for movement toward and away from the other plate. This movement permits the gap between the opposed stripping edges to be varied to accommodate different corn crops and crop conditions. Adjustment of the gap is typically accomplished by an adjusting mechanism including an actuation lever coupled to the adjustable stripper plate.
Despite having the adjusting mechanism, ears of corn can be susceptible to “butt” shelling. Butt shelling refers to the amount of corn kernels shelled from the ends of ears of corn as the corn ears are removed from their respective corn stalks. Although the loss of corn kernels is undesirable, it is unfortunately becoming a more prevalent characteristic of developing corn varieties. Operators must balance the loss of corn kernels associated with shelling with suitable harvesting capacity. Making matters worse, while the lost corn kernels can be viewed from the operator cab, the operator cannot objectively measure the amount and/or rate of lost corn kernels. Therefore, the operator's adjustments are based on guessing.
Therefore a cornhead row unit providing an objective measurement of corn kernels lost during shelling would be highly desirable.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.